Water coming up in the shower when someone flushes. Every drain in the house slowing down at once. A gurgle from the toilet when the washing machine empties. These are the signs of a main sewer line backup, and they do not get better on their own. Simply Green Plumbing clears main line clogs and backups for homes in Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Campbell and across the South Bay, and we show you what caused it so it does not keep happening.
Is It a Main Line Backup or Just One Drain?
A single slow sink or tub is usually a clog in that one drain. When the problem shows up in more than one place, it is usually the main sewer line, the pipe that carries everything from the house out to the street. Watch for:
- Water backing up into a tub or shower when a toilet is flushed
- Several drains slow at the same time, especially on the lowest floor
- Gurgling from toilets or drains when another fixture is running
- Water around a floor drain or seeping from the outdoor cleanout
- A sewage smell inside or in the yard
- Toilets that clog again soon after being plunged
What to Do Right Now
- Stop using water. Every flush, shower, dishwasher or laundry load sends more water into a pipe that cannot take it, and it comes up at the lowest drain in the house.
- Skip the chemical drain cleaner. It will not reach a main line clog, and it leaves caustic water sitting in the fixture for whoever opens the line.
- Keep kids and pets away from any backed up water. Treat it as sewage, because it is.
- Call us. Tell us which drains are affected and whether you know where your outdoor cleanout is. That helps us come prepared.
How We Clear a Main Line
We work through the sewer cleanout, the capped pipe usually found outside near the foundation. From there we open the line with a cable machine, the tool most people know as a rooter. That gets the water moving and the house usable again.
Clearing the line is only half the job. We then run a camera down the pipe to see what caused the backup. It might be tree roots, a buildup of grease and wipes, a sag where water sits, or a cracked or separated section of old pipe. You see the video with us, so the next step is your decision, made with real information instead of a guess.
When Clearing Is Not Enough
Many backups are solved by clearing the line. Others keep coming back because the pipe itself is the problem. Depending on what the camera shows, the next step may be:
- Hydro flushing, which uses high pressure water to scour roots, grease and scale off the pipe walls. Our hydro flushing service explains how it works.
- A spot repair of one broken or separated section, covered on our sewer services page.
- A new line or liner, often without digging up the whole yard. See our trenchless sewer repair page.
We will tell you plainly whether the line just needed clearing or whether it is going to keep failing.
Why Sewer Lines Back Up in Los Gatos, Saratoga and Campbell
Our area has a lot of mature trees, and their roots go looking for water. Older sewer lines here were often built with clay pipe, which has a joint every few feet. Roots find those joints, grow inside, and catch everything that goes down the drain. Our post on tree roots in Los Gatos sewer lines goes into more detail.
Age is the other factor. Many homes in Los Gatos, Saratoga and Campbell still have their original sewer line, and pipe that has been in the ground for decades can crack, shift, or settle into a low spot where waste collects. Heavy winter rain adds more strain on lines that are already struggling, which is why backups tend to cluster in the wet months. Our guide to getting your drains and sewer ready before the rains covers what to do ahead of time.
Keeping It from Happening Again
- Keep wipes, paper towels and grease out of the drains, even the wipes labeled flushable
- If roots were the cause, plan on clearing or flushing the line on a regular schedule until the pipe is repaired
- Make sure your outdoor cleanout is easy to find and reach, so the line can be opened quickly if it ever backs up again
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if my main sewer line is clogged?
The biggest clue is more than one drain acting up at once, especially water coming up in a tub or shower when a toilet is flushed or the washer drains. A single slow sink is usually just that sink.
Where is my sewer cleanout?
Most homes have one outside near the foundation, often on the side of the house closest to the street. It is a short pipe with a screw cap, usually three or four inches across. Some older homes have one in a crawlspace or none at all, and adding one makes future clearing much easier.
Will a store bought drain cleaner fix a main line clog?
No. It cannot reach a clog in the main line, and it can sit in your fixtures as caustic water. Stop using water and call a plumber instead.
Can tree roots be removed for good?
Clearing and hydro flushing remove the roots that are in the pipe, but roots will come back through the same cracked joints over time. The lasting fix is repairing or replacing the damaged section so the roots have no way in.
Do you have to dig up my yard?
Not to clear a backup. Most lines are opened through the cleanout. If the pipe needs repair, trenchless methods can often replace or line it with small access points instead of a long trench.
Sewer backing up right now? Stop running water and call Simply Green Plumbing at (408) 358-6446.